Car-door.



W. E. CONSTABLE.

CAR DOOR. APPLICATION FILED MAY 29, 1914- LlLM.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Patented May 2,1916.

wi/li neooao A PLANOURAPH c0 w. E. CONSTABLE. CAR DOOR,

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29. 1914.

LWLQWD Patented May 2,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- r i w fiwwia/ag WILLIAM E. CONSTABLE, OF EUREKA, WASHINGTON.

CAR-DOOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1216..

Application filed May 29, 1914.. Serial No. 841,945.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, VVILIiIAM E. CoNs'rA- BLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Eureka,'in the county of Walla Walla and State of WVashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Doors, of which the specification.

This invention relates to car doors and more particularly to an improved door especially designed for freight cars or other cars wherein a similar door construction will be adaptable.

The invention has as its primary object to provide a door so constructed as to move freely when in operative position and so arranged. that accidental displacement of the door will be practically impossible.

A further object of the invention is to provide a door construction wherein the supporting means for thedoor will be arranged in a readily accessible position and wherein the door may be readily applied to or removed from the car without the necessity of removing the supporting track or guide for the door, from the car.

The invention has as a further object to provide a door construction wherein the following is a door will be supported for sliding move ment adjacent its lower edge and wherein the guide for the upper edge of the door will also form a housing or water-shed therefor. And the invention has as a still further object to generally improve the construction and increase the efficiency of devices of the above described character.

With these and other objects in view, my invention will be more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and then specifically pointed out in the claims which are attached to and v form a part of this application.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation showing my improved door applied to a car, the car being broken the door in proper relation to the supporting track, Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view more particularly illustrating the arrangement of the supportin rollers, Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of one of the supporting roller brackets, the pin for the roller being shown removed, and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary front elevation showing a catch employed, the housing for the catch being shown partly in section, this view also illustrating the keeper carried by the door.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters. 7

My improved door is more particularly deslgned for use upon freight cars and in the drawings, I have shown the body of the car at 10 which is provided with the usual door opening. Secured to the exterior face of the side wall of the car are vertically disposed posts 11 and 12, the post 11 being disposed in spaced relation to the adjacent edge of the door opening while the post 12 is arranged immediately adjacent the opposite edge thereof. Extending between the 1 posts 11 and 12 above the door opening is a guide 13. Said guide is preferably integrally formed of suitable sheet metal bent to provide a vertically arranged body portion 14 which is disposed to bear against the adjacent face of the side wall of the car and is secured thereto in any suitable manner. At one extremity, the body'portion 14: is bent laterally at substantially right angles, as shown at 15, the portion 15 terminating in a depending flange 16 which is provided at its extremities with longitudinally extending lugs 17 which are arranged to bear against the outer faces of the posts 11 and 12 and are secured thereto in any suitable manner, the said portion 15 of the guide being equal in length to the thickness of the posts 11 and 12. When in operative posi tion, the upper edge of the door 18 is received between the flange 16 of the guide and the adjacent wall of the car, as best shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, and it is to be observed that the guide 13 provides an effectual housing or watershed for the upper edge of the door.

Extending'between the posts 11 and 12 and arranged substantially in alinement with the floor of the car is a track 19. Said track is preferably formed of suitable sheet metal and is arranged in spaced relation to the adjacent wall of the car, being longitudinally bowed adjacent its extremities and being secured to said posts in any suitable manner. Supporting the track 19 are a plurality of brackets 20, the body portion 21 of each of which is arranged below the track 19 and is suitably secured to the adjacent wall of the ear, the body portion 21 of each of said brackets being formed with a reduced curved arm 22 extending to connect with the track.

Arranged upon the face of the door 18 adjacent the lower edge thereof are a plurality of roller brackets 23. Each of said brackets 23 includes a body portion 24 which is detachably secured to the door preferably by screws, and which is formed with a U-shaped arm 25, the free extremity of said arm terminating upon one side of the body portion 24 in spaced relation thereto. Mounted for rotation upon suitable pins 26 are rollers 27, the periphery of each of which is preferably grooved to engage the track, each of said rollers being received between the body portion 24 of the bracket and the adjacent extremity of the arm 25. The door 18 is thus mounted for sliding movement upon the track 19 and particular attention is now called to the fact that the door may be readily attached to or detached from the car without removing the guide 13 or the track 19. To illustrate, it will be supposed that it is desired to dismount the door. To effect this result, the rollerbrackets 23 are first removed and the door is lowered with reference to the door opening of the car to rest by its lower edge upon the arms 22 of the brackets 20. Said arms are so spaced below the track 19 as to permit the upper'edge of the door to clear the flange 16 of the guide and the door is then swung outwardly and raised with reference .to the door opening of the car to disengage the arms 22 of'the brackets to entirely free the door. In applying the door, the above described operation would be reversed. It

is also to be noted that the rollers 27 are detachablyconnected to. the brackets 23, each of the pins 26 upon which said rollers are mounted being received in suitable apertures formed in the body portion 24 and the arm of each of said brackets and being provided with a terminal head 28 arranged to contact with the adjacent face of the door when the brackets are applied thereto to hold said pins in position. This is obviously an advantageous construction since it permits ready replacement or repair of theparts in case of breakage.

Arranged upon the face of the door and disposed to bear against the inner face of the track 19 are a plurality of rollers 29 which are carried by brackets 30, each of said brackets including a body portion 31 having laterally 7 extending oppositely disposed ears formed thereon, the rollers 29 being mounted for rotation between said ears; As will be clear, the rollers 29 are so disposed as to preventv lateral movement of the lower edge of the door, being arranged against the post 12 and when moved to inoperative position is disposed to abut by its rear edge against the post 11. Any suitable locking means may be employed to secure the door when moved to close the door open ing of the car but to maintain the door in inoperative position, I have provided a catch member 32 which is preferably arranged upon the post 11. The catch member 32 includes a base plate 33 upon opposite sides of which and adjacent one end thereof, are formed inwardly extending lugs 34. and 35, the free extremities of said lugs terminating in spaced relation to the base plate 33. The base plate 33 may be secured to the post 11 in any suitable manner and mounted-between said plate and the free extremity of the lug 35 is a catch 36 which is resiliently held in operative position by a spring 37. One extremity of the spring 37 is received between the base plate 33 and the lug 34, being engaged by pins 38 as shown, and the free extremity of said spring is disposed to bear against the outer free extremity of the catch 36 to hold the adjacent extremity of said catch normally in engagement with a lug 39 formed on the base plate 33. The catch 36 is thus normally disposedto engage a keeper 40 carried by the door 18 when said door is moved to inoperative position to maintain the door in such position. The keeper 40 is preferably formed from a sheet metal plate bent upon itself to provide overlapping portions 41, the plate being bifurcated medially adj acent one extremity and being bent to provide oppositely disposed arms 42 which are secured to the face of the door. By this construction, it will be observed that the overlapping portions 41 of the plate provide a shoulder arranged to engage the catch member 36.

It will thus be seen that I provide a construction wherein the working parts of the door are so arranged as to be readily accessible and are so constructed asto be easily detachable. It will further be seen that I provide a construction wherein the guide for the door provides a housing therefor, and wherein the door may be readily removed from the car without the necessity of detaching the guide or the supporting track from the car. Furthermore, the accidental displacement of the door is positively prevented, while at the same time, the door when attached, may be readily moved to serve its function. Preferably, the post 11 is so arranged that when the door is moved to inoperative position, the edge thereof adjacent the door opening will be disposed flush with the adjacent edge of the door opening so that in'the practical useofthe device, said door must be moved to engage the catch member 82 in order to eifeot the entire clearance of the door opening of the car.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is I 1. The combination with a structure having a door opening, of posts secured to the wall of the structure at opposite sides of the door opening, a door mounted for sliding movement with relation to the door opening and between the said posts, the said posts constituting abutments for limiting the sliding movement of the door in one direction or the other, a guide member secured to the wall of the structure and extending above the door opening and continuously between the said posts, the said guide member having an attaching portion secured to the said wall of the structure, a portion inclined downwardly therefrom and extending above the upper edge of the door, and a flange extending downwardly from, the last men tioned portion and beside the outer face of the door, the first and second mentioned portions terminating at their ends at the adj acent sides of the posts and the flange extending at its ends beyond the ends of the first and second mentioned portions and across the forward faces of the posts and secured thereto.

2. A car provided in a side with a door opening, vertical posts secured to the outer side of the car, one adjacent the door opening and the other some distance from the door opening, a door for closing the door opening and slidable between the posts and limited in its movements thereby, and a metal member extending between the posts and attached along one edge to the side of the car above the door opening and having a portion extending outward and downward over the upper edge of the door to form a water shed and having the opposite longiopening and slidable between the posts and limited in its movements thereby, a metal member extending between the posts and attached along one edge to the side of the car above the door opening and having a portion extending outward and downward over the upper edge of the door to form a water shed and having the opposite longitudinal edge portion extending downward to overlap the outer side of the upper edge of the door, said depending portion having its extremities projecting longitudinally to overlap the outer sides of the posts to which they are attached, a track for supporting the door arranged below the door opening and having itsends inwardly deflected and overlapping the post and attached thereto, and

brackets supporting the track at intervals and secured to the track and side of the car.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM E. CONSTABLE. [L- S-] Witnesses:

W. P. LATHnoP, C. M. TAYLOR.

(3019mm of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patentt,

' Washington, I). C. 

